Outback is take two for McClendon

TAMPA, Fla. - Shortly before Tennessee's football team left Knoxville, Jacques McClendon sat in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center watching himself on film.

The same No. 65 was stitched on his jersey, and his 6-foot-3, 330-pound frame looked roughly the same.

But UT's starting offensive guard still couldn't recognize himself from last year's Outback Bowl against Penn State.

Heading into this year's Outback Bowl here Tuesday (TV: ESPN, 11 a.m.) against Wisconsin, neither can McClendon's teammates and coaches.

"A million miles," UT coach Phillip Fulmer says of McClendon's improvement in the past year.

On the first day of 2007, McClendon made his first career start in place of Anthony Parker, who was recovering from knee surgery.

Only McClendon didn't finish. He didn't even finish the first half.

Lined up across from Penn State's Jay Alford, a third-team All-American defensive tackle, McClendon struggled mightily.

"He was a third-round draft pick, great player," McClendon said. "I went in there and had an opportunity and didn't take advantage of it. But now I look back, and this just makes me stronger."

Alford makes his living on Sundays, playing for the New York Giants.

McClendon, meanwhile, will start his sixth game of the season against Wisconsin.

In just his second season with the Vols, McClendon has played in every game except for the season-opener at California. He moved into the starting lineup when tackle Eric Young went down with a knee injury in October against South Carolina.

And now McClendon is reaching the potential that earned him high school All-American honors.

"He's come a long way, even from when he first came in," says Parker. "You saw the ability he had. At the beginning I don't think he knew exactly how to use it. But I think he's developed as a player now and he's learning how to use what he has."

That improvement is most evident every time quarterback Erik Ainge drops back to pass.

McClendon always has been a better than average run blocker, but his technique is much improved against opponents' pass rush.

"He's made tremendous strides," offensive line coach Greg Adkins said. "He knows what he can do to get a whole lot better, even better than he is now. He's gained the confidence that it takes, he's learned how to play the game faster and everything's a little bit smoother right now."

This year's game figures to be a little smoother, too.

Wisconsin senior defensive tackle Nick Hayden was an honorable mention All-Big Ten player this season, but there's no first-day draft pick looming on the other side of the ball.

And even if there was, McClendon is much more equipped to deal with that than he was this time last year.

"He's really turned into a very good player," Fulmer said. "The best thing that he's done is taken his weaknesses and made them his strengths. He has really worked hard on the things that he needed to get better at."

So much so that McClendon bears little resemblance to the player that was outplayed in his first start.

"I looked at it as a completely different player," McClendon said. "Actually (offensive coordinator David) Cutcliffe was the one who told me to go watch. He goes, 'You just don't understand how much better you've gotten and how much better you can get.' "

But watching that film, McClendon already has some idea.

"It's just a great feeling," he says, "knowing I've grown that much from that game."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.